. . .because Morris, Minnesota, is a pleasant, quiet, safe yet intellectually stimulating place on the west central Minnesota prairie, home of the U of M-Morris and a whole lot of interesting people. - morris mn

"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

A historic building on our U of M-Morris campus - morris mn

The multi-ethnic building was the original home of the music department at UMM. (B.W. photo)

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Earl Wevley: pillar from a distinct U.S. epoch

Earl Wevley
had seven brothers. Oh, and he also had seven sisters! It was a
"Spencer's Mountain" type of family - you remember, with Henry Fonda?
Earl had a son who was in my grade at Morris High School: Willard.
Willard had great athletic genes. Earl was such a strapping young man in
World War Two, you can easily see how those physical traits were
bequeathed.

A picture of Earl in WWII is in the book about WWII that
was published by our Historical Society. It's called "The '40s, a Time
for War and a Time for Peace." I consider the book more precious now
than when it came out. That's because the WWII generation exists more in our memories now than in real life. Time marches on, alas. It's terrific to have
those precious personalities preserved in the book. It's at our public
library. A warning: the book was bound in a way that the pages fall out
easily. My personal copy has become rather a mess. I keep it all
together in a cherished place. I quoted from it not long ago when
Francis "Fritz" Schmidt left us.
I had two contacts with Earl through my work with the Morris newspaper. I visited the family farm as a way of introducing a new FFA
teacher at Morris High School. As I remember, I used the farm backdrop
as a way of profiling the new teacher. I believe this was the teacher
who had a background in the Peace Corps. I remember learning that Peace Corps alums were the kind of people who weren't necessarily in a hurry to get things done. It seemed like a character trait that
had to be overcome. The pace of life was very slow and plodding in Peace
Corps locations.
I got familiar with Earl's twin sons when making
that farm visit. But Willard was the son with whom I was most familiar,
having attended the Morris school grades K-12 with him. He and Dan Long
were the athletic prodigies from our class.
Earl was four years old
when his family moved to Breckenridge. Theirs was a farm life. His dad
had the classic struggle of striving to make a living in the Depression.
"We were poor as heck, you know," Earl was quoted saying in the book.
"When kids got to be 13 or 14 years old, we were all on our own. Dad had
a big family and couldn't support them."
That culture of the big
families has faded away. Today we have "helicopter parents" who dote on
their few children. The college dormitories built in the mid-20th
Century are being torn down because they are seen as too impersonal.
Impersonal? Remember the movie where Robert Mitchum
hails one of his rescuers with "Hey Marine, got a cigarette?" No
interest in the guy's name. Not real personal. Such was the lot of our
WWII soldiers.
Young men like Earl flooded the ranks of our military
when our country called. We faced the Empire of Japan and the Nazis.
Today we face an enemy that doesn't wear uniforms. Things were much more
orderly in the 1940s - the Japanese left a return address.
The young Earl worked for a farmer south of Alberta, Ed Holslin.
The bombs fell on Pearl Harbor. Destiny was going to take Earl for a
ride along with his whole generation. Earl was drafted. He was inducted
into the military at Fort Snelling.
He was trained in infantry and artillery in Oklahoma. Finally he came
home on leave. Then came the overseas papers, sending him into the thick
of it. His destination was the Southwest Pacific. His attempts to
correspond with home were impeded by censors.
The environment was so
different. He recalled a malady called "jungle rot." "It was so hot and
damp, you know, and your feet never did dry out," he said in the book.
"Some say once you get the disease, you never get over it - it's
something in your blood, I guess."
It didn't help that the soldiers
wore wool socks and combat boots. As far as the natives, they eschewed
footwear therefore they seemed to avoid the problem. Soldiers had to
fear malaria.
Earl was a guinea pig with others for a new kind of
food, called a "D-bar." This was just before the troops would have
invaded the Japanese mainland. Earl described the D-bar as "like a
highly fortified candy bar. It was supposed to sustain you for a week."
Maybe it would, but it was no waltz in the park. Earl said "You take a
nibble off that and drink water, and your stomach swells up like a
balloon. You feel like you're full but there's no bulk, just a lot of
yeast." Earl did not react well. The idea was to be able to function
with minimal or no food available once the troops penetrated Japan. "I
got sicker than hell," Earl said for the book.
I have long heard about the free cigarettes given GIs.
Earl confirmed that such a thing was done. It seemed everyone smoked.
The movie "Pearl Harbor" was sanitized according to the political
correctness standards of today: no smoking. It was a charade. Historical
accuracy is always to be commended.
Were we really willing and ready to invade the Japanese mainland? I guess we were. The soldiers probably would have gone in en masse,
and been mowed down in significant numbers. The development of the
atomic bomb made the thrust unnecessary. An invasion of Japan might have
made it impossible for Willard to be brought into the world. Earl might
have become a "statistic." Fortunately the U.S. found the means to
subdue the Empire of Japan. Earl, his wife Leola and their children
ended up blessing our existence in Morris MN.
Leola was the former Leola Kussatz.
I got to know Leola when she contacted the paper for coverage of
various awards given by a service organization auxiliary, VFW or Legion
or both. (It was easy to confuse the two, just like the men's posts
could be confused.)
Earl recalled being on leave when he took Leola to a dance in Alberta. He was with Floyd Lange,
a friend who also got drawn into the war. The two went their separate
directions after the dance, saying to each other "See you when we get
back from all of this." Floyd ended up on a ship that was sunk by a
Japanese Kamikaze plane in the closing stages of the war. We lost Floyd.
Click on the link below to read the post I wrote about Floyd Lange.http://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2014/06/floyd-lange-gave-last-full-measure-of.html

BTW
he looked so much like the "Kramer boys" who would become family. Del
Sarlette said of the Kramer boys: "They looked exactly the same at a
certain age."
Earl's distress with war did not end with the end of
the war. He was sent to Pearl Harbor. He was in a unit assigned to clean
up "dud" bombs from the infamous bombing. Such bombs had timing that
was off, Earl speculated. We lacked the tech means of today to do the
locating. A fellow soldier just 50 or 100 feet away from Earl,
discovered a bomb and it went off. Earl took the dog tags off this
suddenly killed man. He carried the body up a hill. "Life wasted," Earl
bemoaned. Such are the experiences that can lead to PTSD. Earl's friends and family would say that he could not sever himself from such memories.
Earl
was discharged from the service at Fort Sheridan IL. He married Leola.
He greatly savored the freedom of his life post-war. The war had been so
suffocating in terms of taking orders all the time, he said. I guess
freedom was what the war was all about.
Earl has gone to a better place: heaven. Far from "jungle rot," indeed.
In
my interview with Earl in connection with Veterans Day, I remember him
talking about how "we wouldn't want to live under a dictator." He truly
knew what was at stake. Such a dynamic, selfless generation. I look down
the table of contents of that WWII book, and see so many names that
make me smile, men and women. Women were subservient in many ways at
that time in our U.S. history. But undoubtedly, the men who served saw women fully as peers, I'm convinced. Societal norms weren't their idea
or creation. The men and women joined hands in our great effort to
dispatch the Axis powers.
I wish Earl's generation could have done more to suppress our involvement in both Korea and (especially) Viet Nam.
What
if the U.S. had not been forced to build up its military for World War
II? How might that have changed the course of history? What of all the
men who would have been denied the benefits of the G.I. Bill? I'm quite
certain the great "middle class" of the late 20th Century would never
have come about. Could our national morale have held up? "Alternate
histories" are a serious field of study and fodder for books. But this
is just a blog.
Earl Wevley, RIP. Floyd Lange, RIP.

Addendum: Re. the movie "Spencer's Mountain," you might recall that it included a scene that is perhaps the saddest in movie history: where the tree falls on the old man, remember?

Summer scenes around Morris, 2012

Click on the image to view a Flickr album of photos taken around the Morris area in the warm weather months of 2012. This group includes photos taken at the 2012 UMM graduation. The image above taken near Perkins Lake was chosen for display in the "Minnesota Explorers" Flickr gallery which is linked to Rick Kupchella's "Bring Me the News" MN website. Also chosen was a field of sunflowers photo I took. I'm delighted to have such platforms available. - B.W.

Past MACA Tiger football photos:

City of Morris perspective:

Pin it on your chest!

Click on the above image to access our "City Data" page.

Morris Theater - morris mn

Click on this image to read thoughts/reflections on our Morris Theater, which is hanging on through changing times (as a co-op). There is a link at the bottom of this post to read part 2 as well. These posts were written in spring of 2010 so there are some dated references. Any Morris native can spin some fond recollections of enjoying cinema fare there with friends.

Enjoy some fall scenery around Morris:

Enjoy some winter scenes around Morris:

Sam Smith statue - morris mn

Click on the image to read about the Sam Smith "running rifleman" statue at Summit Cemetery. This post explores the life of Samuel Smith, early Morris resident. He fought for the Union cause in several major engagements in the Civil War. The statue is patterned after the statue for the First Minnesota Regiment at Gettysburg National Park. This post is the newest of three that I have written about Sam Smith. I consider it the most comprehensive about the man. The statue can be an overlooked landmark of Morris MN. Everyone here ought to be familiar with it. Smith raised a large family north of Morris.

The first building here

In 1871 the first building erected within the village of Morris was the headquarters of the chief engineer of the railroad, C.H.F. Morris. With the railroad came the people.

The WCROC overlook

A nice view to the west is afforded from the WCROC overlook. It's a relatively new feature of the WCROC grounds. Specifically it's part of the WCROC Horticulture Garden. Click on the image to reach the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) website. Les Lindor was instrumental in making the overlook a reality. He served the West Central Experiment Station (the entity predating the WCROC) as ag engineer.

Stay informed about Stevens County MN:

Morris' music mecca:

Words to live by

This original and popular sign can be seen from the highway between Morris and Cyrus. It's associated with the late Dan Helberg. There used to be a sculpture next to it but perhaps it was removed due to legal restrictions (i.e. as a distraction). The sign has the thumbs-up for which we are grateful. Let's always heed these words.

Some spring/summer photo scenes:

The bike trail system

Call it both a walking and bicycling trail. It snakes along both the east and west sides of our Pomme de Terre River. You can do a complete lap which reportedly measures 4 1/2 miles. It's a fitness challenge for those willing to push their bodies a little! This photo was taken on the east side of the river, heading toward Lake Crissey (a wide spot on the river). Spring is a great time to get out there.

Our area's history:

Remembering "ag school"

From the time it accepted its first class in 1910, until it graduated its final class of seniors in 1963, over 7,000 students attended the West Central School of Agriculture. The precursor of the U of M-Morris, it opened its doors to its first class of 103 students in October of 1910.

Wildflowers out by the river

Click on this image to reach the "Minnesota wildflowers" website. This photo was taken on the west side of our Pomme de Terre River.

Before the current library

In 1921 the Stevens County Memorial Armory was built on the 100 block of East 6th Street, the site which is now occupied by the Morris Public Library.1969 saw the opening of the new Morris Public Library on the site of the old armory, leaving vacant the Carnegie building. The Historical Society found a new home in the Carnegie building in 1970.

A suggested restaurant

About Me

Brian Williams is a former writer in the Morris "dead tree" media who plies his pastime in the wonderful, liberating new media today. He refuses to consider himself an alternative journalist because the web is now the mainstream. Newspapers are in rapid retreat and it won't be long before they will exist in vestigial form only. Print media will not die because as a media observer put it: "We will always have print media for as long as there's a 'print' button on your computer." A once weekly newspaper (like in Morris) won't cut it. It's not consistent with our instant gratification culture. But the media are blossoming more than ever thanks to all the new tools. It's an uplifting, "green" new universe. Key word suggestions: morris mn - hancock mn - donnelly mn - cyrus mn - chokio mn - alberta mn - 56267 - stevens county - morris theater mn - morris area tigers - hancock owls.

Buy a car:

Pomme de Terre or Perkins?

Most maps identify it as "Perkins Lake" but it's known as Pomme de Terre to many local residents. The sign at the entry to the lake access uses the Pomme de Terre term, so that seems legitimate. This lake is part of a chain that represent wide spots on the Pomme de Terre River. Pomme de Terre Lake is useful for recreation and fishing, plus there are many fine residences along the shoreline. The chain is located several miles north of Morris.

A Destiny Driver. . .

"I Love Morris" is consistent with one of the "destiny drivers" as articulated by Stevens Forward! (named for Stevens County): "By 2010 we will enhance our interconnectedness by better utilizing the technology infrastructure to create a virtual community." (2010 is already here but this is always a "work in progress!")

We're the "Storm" in hockey

Click on this image to reach the official website of the Morris Benson Area "Storm" hockey program. Of course it's "MBA" for short. In Morris these teams play at the Lee Community Center, next to the fairgrounds.

B.W.'s country music memories, 1996-97:

Your Congressman:

Maintain perspective:

Main street of Morris mn

Atlantic Avenue is the main street of Morris and it's typically abuzz. Click on the above image to reach the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission website.

Gager's Station

The first stopping place in Stevens County was Gager's Station, considered by some historians to be one of the more important stopping plces on the Wadsworth Trail. The station was nestled among the trees near Wintermute Lake.

VIDEO CLIPS

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The Eagles huddle

Blue is the color of the Morris amateur baseball team which goes by the nickname "Eagles." They're pictured about to break a pre-game huddle at their home: Chizek Field, named for the late Don Chizek who coached the Morris High Tigers for many years. The Tigers now have their own veteran coach in Lyle Rambow. Lyle had a successful playing career with the Eagles.

RIP jazz band leaders:

Best dog you could own:

"Dog is my co-pilot":

Superb early-morning TV:

Wind turbines - morris mn

There are two grand wind turbines such as this one on the eastern edge of Morris. It appears glistening white in this photo but they often are dark, silhouetted against the bright sky. A photographer never tires of them. They have become sustainable symbols of the community.

A trail of long ago here

The Wadsworth Trail was established by the U.S. Government in 1864 to transport supplies from St. Cloud to Fort Wadsworth, west of present day Sisseton, South Dakota.

No longer just a comedian:

She's upstaging Jim Klobuchar now:

Visit our McDonald's

It's a hotspot for dependable fast food and, just as important, socializing: our McDonald's Restaurant on the north end of Atlantic Avenue.

Our park in west Morris

Wells Park, located near Pacific Avenue and West 11th Street, was established in 1916 on land donated to the city by Henry Wells (a successful businessman and land investor) and Margaret Hulburd. Additional land was donated in 1935 by the Wells Investment Company, and in 1980 by Grace Zamerow.